तेनोदगुः पिशाचानां पङ्क्तयो ऽनन्तभीतिदाः । सन्ध्यायाम् इव भीत्येव दिवसश् श्यामतां ययौ
By that, lines of ghosts arose, giving endless fear; as in twilight, fear itself, the day turned dark.
पिशाचा भुवनं जह्रुर् अन्धकारभरा इव । भास्मनस्तम्भसदृशास् तालोत्तालविलासिनः
The ghosts seized the world, as if filled with darkness; resembling pillars of ash, they moved with wild gestures.
दृश्यमानमहाकारा मुष्टिग्राह्या नकिञ्चन । ऊर्ध्वकेशाः कृशाङ्गाश् च केचिच् च श्मश्रुला अपि
Visible in great forms, graspable by the fist yet nothing at all; some with hair standing up, thin bodies, and some even with beards.
कृशाङ्गा मलिनाङ्गाश् च ग्राम्या इव नभश्चराः । सभायां मूढदृष्टाश् च यत्किञ्चनकराः खलाः
Thin-bodied, dirty-bodied, like villagers wandering the sky; in the assembly, dull-eyed, doing whatever, wicked.
दीना बह्वाशिनः क्रूरा दीना ग्राम्यजना इव । तरुकर्दमरथ्यान्तश्शून्यगेहगृहाश् चलाः
Wretched, gluttonous, cruel, wretched like rural folk; unstable, with empty homes, at the ends of muddy streets and under trees.
लेलिहानाः प्रेतरूपाः कृष्णाङ्गाश् श्वपचा इव । जगृहुस् ते तदा मत्ता हतशिष्टम् अरेर् बलम्
Licking, in forms of the dead, black-bodied like dog-eaters; they seized, intoxicated, the remnants of the enemy's force.
आसन्नसैनिकास् तत्र वित्रस्तक्षुब्धचेतनाः । त्यक्तायुधतनुत्राणास् त्रस्तप्राणास् स्खलद्गमाः
The soldiers nearby, with minds disturbed and terrified; abandoning weapons and armor, frightened for their lives, stumbling as they fled.
नेत्रैर् अङ्गैर् मुखैः पादैर् विकारभयकारिणः । त्यक्तकौपीनवसना निर्नग्ना हसनोत्तराः
With eyes, limbs, faces, and feet causing terror through their distortions; abandoning loincloths and garments, naked, laughing in response.
विष्ठां मूत्रं च कुर्वन्तस् स्थिरम् आरब्धनर्तनाः । पिशाचराजो राजानम् अथ यावद्विदूरथम्
Defecating and urinating, with their wild dancing begun, the king of the goblins approached the king, who was not far off.
समाक्रामति तावत् स मायां तां बुबुधे बुधः । पिशाचसङ्ग्रामकरीं मायां वेत्ति स भूमिपः
As he advanced, the wise king recognized that illusion, knowing it to be a magical display conjured for battle by the goblin king.
तया पिशाचसैन्यं तत् परसैन्ये न्ययोजयत् । ततस् स्वसैनिकास् स्वस्थाः परयोधाः पिशाचिनः
With that illusion, the goblin king set his army against the enemy forces; then his own soldiers remained unharmed, while the opposing warriors became goblins.
तस्याथ रूपिकास्त्रं तद् ददौ चान्यद् असौ रुषा । उदगुर् भूतलाद् व्योम्नो रूपिकास् स्तब्धमूर्धजाः
Then, in anger, he unleashed another magical weapon, the 'form-changing missile'; from earth and sky arose form-changing beings with stiff, upright hair.
निर्नग्ना विकरालाक्ष्यो लम्बश्रोणिपयोधराः । उद्भिन्नयौवना वृद्धाः पीवराङ्ग्यो ऽथ जर्जराः
Naked, with terrifying eyes, sagging hips and breasts, some were old with bursting youthfulness, some were plump, others emaciated.
स्वरूपारूपजघना दुर्नाट्यविकसद्भगाः । नरपद्मशिरोहस्ता रुधिरारुणगात्रकाः
Some had natural, some unnatural hips, their genitals exposed in grotesque dances; with human heads and lotus-hands, their bodies were blood-red.
अर्धचर्वितमांसासृक्स्रवत्सृक्वाक्तलालनाः । नानानानाङ्गवलनाननोन्नमनसन्नमाः
Chewing half-eaten flesh, licking blood and marrow from their palms, they twisted and turned their many limbs, raising and lowering their faces.
सिरालभुजवक्त्रोरुकुचपार्श्वकराङ्गिकाः । ताडीकृतार्भकशवाद् अनुकृष्टान्त्ररज्जवः
With arms, faces, thighs, breasts, sides, and hands streaked with veins, they beat on the corpses of children, dragging out entrails like ropes.
श्वकाकोलूकवदना निम्नवक्त्रहनूदराः । जगृहुस् ताः पिशाचांस् तान् दुर्बलान् दुश्शिशून् इव
With faces like dogs, jackals, and owls, with sunken mouths, jaws, and bellies, they seized those weak goblins as if they were helpless children.
पिशाचरूपिकासैन्यं तदासीद् एकतां गतम् । निर्नग्नं नर्तनोत्तानवदनाङ्गविलोचनम्
That army of goblin-like beings became united, naked, dancing, with faces, limbs, and eyes turned upwards.
परस्पराक्रान्तिकरं भीषयंश् च परस्परम् । निष्कासितमहाजिह्वं नानामुखविकारदम्
They attacked one another, terrifying each other, with great tongues protruding, displaying various distortions of face.
शवभाराढ्यम् अन्योऽन्यं ह्रियमाणशवाङ्गकम् । रुधिराम्भसि मज्जत् तदुन्मज्जच् च लसत्तनु
Each carried burdens of corpses, dragging away limbs of the dead, their shining bodies sinking and rising in pools of blood.
लम्बोदरं लम्बभुजं लम्बकर्णोष्ठनासिकम् । रक्तमांसवसापङ्केष्व् अन्योऽन्यं वेल्लनात्म तत्
With hanging bellies, arms, ears, lips, and noses, they tossed each other about in the mire of blood, flesh, and fat.
मन्दरोद्धूतदुग्धाब्धिलसत्कलकलाकुलम् । यथैव मायासञ्चारस् तेन तस्य कृतः पुनः
Just as the churning of the milk ocean by Mandara mountain produced a tumult of froth, so did that illusion create confusion there again.
तेनापि तस्याशु तथा कृतो बुद्ध्वाशु लाघवम् । वेतालास्त्रं ततो दत्तं तेनोत्तस्थुश् शवव्रजाः
Recognizing its swiftness, he quickly created the same illusion again; then, by means of the Vetāla weapon, he made the hosts of corpses rise up.
अमूर्धानस् समूर्धानो वेतालावेशवल्गिताः । ततः पिशाचवेतालरूपिकौघकबन्धवत्
Some were headless, some with heads, all possessed by the frenzy of Vetālas; then, like a mass of goblins and Vetālas, they were bound together.
उद्बभूव बलं भीमम् ऊर्वीनिगरणक्षमम् । अथेतरो ऽपि भूपालो मायां सञ्चार्य चापराम्
A formidable force arose, capable of swallowing the earth; then the other king conjured another illusion.
राक्षसास्त्रं ससर्जाशु त्रैलोक्याक्रमणोन्मुखम् । उदगुः पर्वताकारास् सर्वतस् स्थूलराक्षसाः
He swiftly created a demon army, intent on conquering the three worlds; massive demons emerged everywhere, mountain-like in form.
देहम् आश्रित्य निष्क्रान्ताः पातालान् नरका इव । अथाभूत् तद् बलं भीमं ससुरासुरभीतिदम्
Leaving their bodies, they came forth like beings from hell; that force became terrifying, striking fear in gods and demons alike.
गर्जद्रक्षोमहाम्भोदवाद्यनृत्यत्कबन्धकम् । रूपिकादारिकारूपं पिशाचस्थानसुस्थिति
With roaring, monstrous sounds, like thunder from dark clouds, and dancing headless bodies; in forms of ghosts and ghouls, they stood firmly in their haunted abodes.
आत्तक्वणितवंशाढ्यं शिरः पद्मोत्कराकुलम् । लोलान्त्रमालावलितं रुधिराम्बुसमुक्षितम्
Their heads were adorned with heaps of lotuses, filled with the clamor of flutes; intestines hung in garlands, dripping with streams of blood.
वेतालतालसोल्लासं लसद्धाम पिशाचकम् । मेदोमांसवसाद्याढ्यं रुधिरासवसुन्दरम् । क्षीबवेतालकुम्भाण्डयक्षताण्डवसङ्कटम्
With the delight of vetāla drums, shining ghostly radiance, rich in fat, flesh, and marrow, beautiful with streams of blood-wine; crowded with drunken vetālas, skulls, and the tumult of wild dances.